Annexation, Fee Increase Among Items On Agenda for Wheeling City Council

March 31, 2014

An annexation petition by residents of Glen Hollin Drive is among the measures that will be introduced before City Council Tuesday.

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Photo by Ian HicksA majority of property owners on Glen Hollin Drive, located in Marshall County, have petitioned Wheeling to annex their neighborhood.

Council will meet at noon Tuesday on the first floor of the City-County Building, following an 11:30 a.m. Development Committee meeting.

The city received a petition signed by owners of nine of the 16 properties in the neighborhood, a dead-end street located off Mil Acres Drive. According to City Solicitor Rosemary Humway-Warmuth, it takes half the owners plus one to get an annexation petition before council without an election.

The street is situated in Marshall County and would become a part of the 6th Ward if council votes in favor of annexation.

Residents would receive police and fire protection, ambulance service and street maintenance from the city as a result of annexation - but it would also mean an increase in property taxes. Based on 2011 figures, city officials estimate annual taxes on a house with an assessed value of $90,000 would increase about $290.

Residents could see some benefit in the form of lower homeowner's insurance premiums, however, as insurers generally look more favorably on property covered by a professional municipal fire department.

Also up for first reading Tuesday is a proposed increase in city ambulance fees. City Manager Robert Herron is proposing increasing the fee to $500 for basic life support, $650 for advanced life support and $10 per mile from the current $350, $450 and $7 per mile, respectively.

The proposed increase was first brought up when Herron unveiled his 2014-15 budget proposal. He said the city's ambulance rates are among the lowest in the area and need to be increased to keep up with rising expenses.

In other business, council will vote on whether to spend $141,000 in sales tax revenue on sound system improvements at WesBanco Arena.